Although we live in a time of high-tech striker-fired polymer pistols, I confess that since April of this year I’ve been carrying modern iterations of the 1911 pistol, designed in the eponymous year, for teaching as well as competition and personal defense. Let me tell you why.
The 1911 design has some timeless features. No one knows more about 1911s than Bill Wilson, who manufactures some of the finest of the breed at his Wilson Combat factory, and he and I discuss the design’s attributes here:
Crime trends being what they are today, a lot of folks would like more rounds on board in their defense gun than the 8+1 of .45 ACP or 10+1 of 9mm in a standard configuration 1911. During the last few months I’ve carried and taught with the 17+1 round Springfield Prodigy 1911 9mm, which I found handy to tac-load when back at the hotel room with the 26-round magazine that comes with it. On my own time, I’ve lately been carrying a Wilson Combat SFT9 1911 with 15+1 rounds of 127 grain Winchester Ranger-T 9mm, each running at 1250 feet per second. That’s about the same ballistics as 125 grain full load .357 Magnum out of a snub-nose revolver.
I haven’t been teaching with the Wilson gun, seen in the photo above, because it’s premium-priced at around three grand. I tell my students “It’s not about the gun so much as it’s about the shooter, and it’s not even as much about the shooter as it’s about consistent application of proven technique.” If I demonstrate with a $3,000 pistol some will infer, “Oh, the only reason that’s working so well for him is that he has that premium priced gun.” I felt guilty enough about using the Prodigy, which retails in the $1500 range. For most of the last few months I’ve demonstrated with a Springfield Armory Range Officer .45 or the same maker’s Ronin 9mm Lightweight, each of which sells for under the price of my 40-hour course.
One reason for those 9-shot .45 and 11-shot Springfields has been that I’ve been teaching in some states which have the ridiculous ten-round magazine limits, which any child would know will limit the firepower of only the law-abiding and can be expected to be completely ignored by the law-breakers the rest of us carry guns to protect ourselves and our loved ones from in the first place.
And of course, having been shooting 1911 pistols since I was twelve years old is a part of that retro thing, too…
Thanks Mas…. One thing I noticed when I took my MAG40 class a fews back was watching you test fire some of your student’s guns. We took a break in-between range drills and you said anyone who needed help sighting in their pistol that you would help them. I vividly remember watching “the old sensei” unloading 10 rounds into an saucer sized circle on the head of an IDPA target at slightly more than combat distance. You were carrying an S&W E Series 1911 in a shoulder holster but your groups were consistent with every student pistol you shot, once again proving that it’s the shooter skill, not the gun.
I attended Jeff Cooper’s Gunsite 250 (basic) in 1977 and learned a lot, returned in 1978 and found it far more challenging. I still use that same Series 70 Govt Model and will probably never sell it, though I haven’t changed the springs in it in – oh, forever . . . probably should.
Nevertheless, I tend to use a G19 as a carry gun in Florida, primarily because it holds many more rounds and well, you know, somewhat more concealable, etc. etc. etc.
Yet I still feel the pull of that 1911 very, very strongly . . .
Private citizen
I carry a SA Garrison in .45ACP often, Berettas as well as I’ve used both to train. I’m also learning revolver to round out my repertoire. Living in the People’s Republic of Washington I have no idea what the Crown will ban next.
Two weeks ago, I found a Rock Island 1911 45 ACP Officers model for $330 at Palmetto State Armory, a price that I could not pass up. I shot it for the first time this weekend, 50 rounds worth. After getting used to the feel, operation, and kick of this firearm verses my sole experience with Glocks, I found that consistently hitting high A zone on the IDPA at 5 yards with controlled pairs. I’m still not I have consistently mastered this same task with my Glock 43X with a red dot. I was very much impressed with seeing the edges of the paper holes get bigger as the rounds consistently pass through the same hole in high A zone.
Unfortunately, the gun failed to slide lock on each empty magazine, even after switching magazines. So, I am now testing Rock Is. and Armscor’s warranty program, which I hear is very good. I have heard that this is not an uncommon thing among new 1911s of all makes.
RIA may not be the top of the line 1911, but it was a solid firearm when it arrived, and I felt that it was good way to get into this model gun without the expensive price tag. I’m looking forward to getting it back and practicing more with it. To say that I’m impressed with the 1911 is an understatement!
Richard, if you shoot with thumbs straight forward one of those thumbs may be riding the slide stop, causing the failure to lock open. Shoot it southpaw and see if it still happens.
Hi Mas,
I do shoot thumbs forward and have hit the slide lock on my Glocks that way. That was one of my thoughts and that of the range safety officer at the KS State Park El Dorado range (great facility BTW) while I was shooting the 1911. He recommended that I shoot it single handed. I did so right handed with the the thumb curled down like you taught us in the MAG 40 course. I was fairly certain that I was not riding the slide stop with my fingers and the safety officer was watching as well. Same thing. 2 magazines, both failed to slide lock.
Also, each time it very difficult to extract the magazine. The mag release button would not eject the magazine. I had to physically strip it from the magazine well and it was binding on something as it took at of force to pull it out. This both with the Armscor mag that came with the gun and with a Springfield mag that purchased. I could not find a Wilson Combat mag in the local stores. Found one on Midway, but want to check in the Wilson web site first.
Funny thing, just putting an empty magazine in the well and pressing the mag release, the mag pops out just fine with a very resounding push. The fact the magazine is hanging up and not ejecting cleanly has me concerned.
I do like the way the 1911 shoots! It’s fun!!
Thanks again, Mas!
I have a great deal of affection for the 1911, but mine has been shot exactly once in this century and I can’t recall how often in the rest of the last 30+ years.
Why? Well, in line with what Mas mentions above, I spent decades using & teaching the issue service pistols. In the process I got skeptical of short travel, short reset light triggers for serious use for those who aren’t exceptionally trained and skilled. In addition, I didn’t want to be swapping manuals of arms back and forth. In retirement, I took the 1911 out that once and things went well but i soon realized that my operating system didn’t mesh well with the different hardware.
Being honest, I also learned back in the last century I preferred JMBs High Power to the 1911. I may get that one out later this week.
I agree. I grew up on the 1911 and carried one exclusively for years. Back then it was pretty much the only gun I shot for fun and in competition. But now I have dozens of handguns that I plink with and enjoy shooting. None of them have triggers approaching the “short travel and short reset” of the 1911 and only my target .22s have trigger pulls as light as my 1911s. I no longer carry 1911s for defense, because in a high stress moment it would be too easy to touch off a round unintentionally. Muscle memory is a real thing so if you carry a 1911 for serious purposes you probably shouldn’t shoot pistols with heavier triggers for entertainment. I still have four 1911s. They are some of my favorite range toys, but I no longer carry them for real.
Expensive or not, big outline, heavy guns only made sense for me when I lived in a less torrid climate. Heck, physics being what it is I find I’d need suspenders to carry my high mileage 43.1 ounce (loaded) Combat Commander anymore.
What’s a loaded 26 round 9mm magazine weight anyway?
If a gun weighs more than 25 ounces it’ll be chillin’ in the safe with the silverware.
I do wear suspenders and I don’t carry anything over 25 ounces. In my thirties I carried a Combat Commander daily and found it quite comfortable. I still have that pistol but somehow it has gained weight over the last four decades. Now I carry a Sig P365.
Which Prodigy do you prefer? My 4.25 is all stock and almost 2,000 rds trouble free. Fun to shoot too!
My favorite range pistols are a $250 Philippine 1911 semi custom (beavertail and 3 dot sights) and a 1909 Colt Army Special revolver I just rebarreled with a early Official Police 5″ barrel. (I discovered a bulge). Nothing wrong with retro.
If you have an 8 shot Smith & Wesson .357 in New York can you only load 7 rounds in the cylinder? The craziness continues 🤨
I am carrying a Ruger SR 9c. I like the gun, but I shoot the 1911 platform the best of all guns.
I may look into the Tisas Stingray, a 1911 that has every single upgrade you want, plus it is series 70, and has the much loved bobtail. At a list price of less than 600$, I have seen them as low as 540$.
I would get the 9mm option.
I also have a mint condition S&W 3913, that I love but keep it as a backup. Roy Huntington advised me that the Ruger made more sense, due to better steel, manufacturing processes and just the things like aging springs, etc. It made good sense to me, and I still have the Smith just because.
I’ve carried 1911s off and on most of the time since I started carrying in 2006. I seem to shoot better with a .45 than I do with 9mms of any variety. I’ve stopped in the last year in favor of an M&P in 357SIG, but that’s more because the old warhorses seem to shred my clothes (and the seat of my car) at an alarmingly fast pace, and the mag release isn’t as easy to manipulate for a southpaw like me.
I’ve never had any problem with the mag release. I use my index finger.
Single-action has always had its advantages (and disadvantages). The advantages of a double-stack 9mm version of a 1911 pistol over one based on the Browning Hi-Power or old-style CZ-75 (with safety rather than de-cocker) are not obvious to me, but they probably differ in grip angle and feel of the trigger.
Of course, a single-stack pistol can be more concealable, and 1911-style pistols are traditionally single-stack.
And, I suppose a grip safety might be nice if you’re carrying a single-stack gun in an appendix holster. Instead of using the traditional-double-action technique of keeping your thumb on the de-cocked hammer while re-holstering, you could get into the habit of re-holstering without pressure on the grip safety.
Most double-stack 1911s copy the Para Ordnance layout. Para simply grafted the magwell from a Browning Hi Power onto the 1911 frame. It was easy to do, since the Hi Power shared some basic dimensions with the 1911.
My Paras, with the stock plastic grips, are .030″ wider across the grips than my USGI models. The difference in size isn’t enough to notice.
Speaking only for myself, I can shoot a handgun most accurately if it has (a) a good sight radius and (b) a single-action trigger.
The sight radius is important because my vision has degraded with age (and various eye problems) so I need all the help I can get to align the sights. The trigger is important because handguns are so easy to pull off target as the trigger is pressed. Their light weight (compared with rifles) in relation to trigger pull weight makes them so.
I have managed to generate very good (one big hole) groups several times while firing at the range. I have done this with (a) my 45 ACP 1911 (5-inch barrel), (b) my 357-magnum revolver (6-inch barrel) and (c) my 9mm Hi-Power clone (4.87-inch barrel). As you can see, all these handguns have a good sight radius and operate in single-action mode (optional in the case of the revolver).
I also have striker fired pistols (DAO trigger) and/or short-barreled carry pistols with short sight radius. While I can hit well enough to strike the center of mass at usual combat ranges, with these handguns, I cannot generate groups that are just one big hole with them.
For carry purposes, I prefer the small compact carry guns. A carry gun is carried a lot but shot very little. Therefore, I value its carry features (small size, light weight, etc.) over my ability to be surgically precise with it. However, for target shooting, give me a long-barreled handgun with a single-action trigger pull, any day.
So, I understand why Mas favors 1911 style pistols for his teaching work. During training sessions, Mas “shoots a lot” and the heavier weight, single-action trigger, and greater sight radius of the 1911 platform has clear advantages. However, for routine, daily, concealed carry, the long-barreled pistols remain at home (locked in the gun safe) and it is the lightweight, compact pistol that gets stuck in my pocket! 🙂 YMMV
BTW, I have tried red dot sights on striker fired pistols and on pistol caliber carbines (PCC). The red dot may slightly improve my groups with handguns but not to the point of “one big hole” in the target. However, I can generate such precision with the PCC at close range. On the other hand, given the longer sight radius of a carbine, I could probably do it with the iron sights too. So, a red dot on a handgun does not seem to be a “miracle cure” for my compromised vision. Again, YMMV.
Your criticism of the ease of firing a double action revolver compared to a cocked and locked 1911 can be equally applied to the Glock and other “drop safety only” pistols. I was surprised that you didn’t mention this. Too, the trigger feel of a 1911 is far superior to most other pistols.
My Dan Wesson Pointman 7 is SWEET!!!
All of the custom quality at ordinary man’s price.
Get an old Para or a new RIA double-stack 9mm 1911. You Paras show up on the auction sites from time to time, but you might have to use some “famous gun writer” mojo to score an RIA; for the last few years the 9mm double stacks have mostly been back-ordered.
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